


Demonata Drabble

by justacr0w



Category: Demonata Series - Darren Shan
Genre: Angst, Bonding, Gen, Mentions of Death, Not Canon Compliant, Not Serious, Trauma, probably really ooc, this literally ignores canon after book 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-17 06:01:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29095431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justacr0w/pseuds/justacr0w
Summary: ****Literally ignores canon after book 3, so please don't yell at me. I wrote this years ago and it never really went anywhere but I'm proud of certain parts so I wanted to share.****Just some drabble of Grubbs, Bill-E, and my OC bonding over trauma. Nothing special.Chapter titles indicate POV.





	1. Grubbs

"Hey-ho, cousin." It's Bill-E, waving to me as I get to school. 

I wave back and he joins me on the last few steps. "What's up?" I ask. 

He points across the yard, past several groups of kids, to a girl sitting by herself. She's wearing cut-off jeans and a band shirt two sizes too big. Her nose is buried in a book and she's not paying any attention to what's around her. But what really catches my eye is her hair- it's blue!

"Who's that?"

Bill-E grins. "That's Jericho- she lives outside the Vale. Known her for years."

"Then why haven't I seen her before?"

He laughs. "Her cousin keeps pulling her out for chess tournaments."

I roll my eyes and grin. "She any good?"

"Dunno, I never played her. Come on."

We walk over and Bill-E squats down to rap his knuckles on the book cover.

"Earth to Jericho!" he says with a laugh.

"'Sup, Spleen?" she replies without looking up.

"Can you take your nose out of the book for a minute? My cousin wants to meet you."

Jericho finally looks up and smiles. I feel my face go red- girls still scare me. She's really cute, almost as cute as Reni. Her eyes are a sort of greenish-color and there are obvious tan lines on her limbs- I can tell she spends a lot of time outside.

"'Sup, stranger?" she greets me. "I'm Jericho Stern."

"Grubbs Grady," I reply, sticking my hand out awkwardly.

She closes her book and takes my hand in hers, standing up with another smile. "Nice to meet you, Grady. Spleen here wouldn't shut up about how cool you were." She picks up her bag and throws it over her shoulder as the bell rings.

As she walks away, Bill-E calls after her, "See you after school!"

She gives up a thumbs-up before the crowd of students swallows her. Me and Bill-E go to our classes and I don't see him again until lunch.

While we eat, Bill-E nonchalantly informs me that Jericho is coming over after school to hang out with us. I ask about Dervish but Bill-E waves me off, saying Dervish knows her already and not to worry about it. I wonder if this is actually true as Bill-E sits up a little.

"Speak of the devil. Hey Jericho! Over here!"

The blue hair bounces toward us, and Jericho plops down next to me, still carrying the book from this morning.

"Hullo, Grady. Hullo, Spleen." She grins and steals some of Bill-E's lunch.

We talk for a while and then Bill-E invites her over to hang out after school. She accepts as the bell rings and we slowly head back to class. There's only a couple weeks left until vacation starts and everyone is ready for school to be over.

After the final bell, I meet up with Bill-E and we go to collect Jericho from her last class. My half-brother is cracking corny jokes the entire time we're walking home and Jericho laughs at all of them. I know Bill-E well enough to see he really likes her but she's hard to read.

When we walk in the front door, Jericho throws her bag at Bill-E and goes flying through the house until she finds my uncle and shrieks his name. Then we hear a thump from upstairs.

I climb the stairs two at a time with Bill-E a few steps behind, struggling with Jericho's bag. I find Dervish laying in the floor in the second floor hallway with Jericho's arms around his waist. It doesn't look like she's going to let go any time soon, either. Dervish is laughing a little and hugging her back. Then he notices me staring and sits up.

"Hey, Grubbs. How's school?" he asks calmly, prying Jericho off and getting up.

"Okay, I guess." I'm still staring.

Jericho gets up too and pulls her shirt back down. As she does, I can see that she has her belly button pierces. It's a tiny blue stone set in silver. She's laughing- probably at my expression- as we follow Dervish back to the stairs. Bill-E gives up on trying to hold her bag and shoves it into my hands. I grunt in surprise, stumbling backward with the weight.

"What do you have in this thing?" I ask her.

She grins and takes it from me like it weighs nothing. "Books."

Dervish abandons us at the top of the stairs to go back to his study. We gather in the TV room to do our homework. Me and Bill-E sit on the couch while Jericho plops on the floor in front of us. As we tackle the mountain of homework we've been given, I notice Bill-E keeps glancing at Jericho whenever she's focused on her work. He _really_ likes her.

After a while Jericho complains that she's thirsty and gets up to raid the kitchen. Once she's out of the room I look over at Bill-E and nudge him with my elbow.

"What?" he asks, rubbing his shoulder.

"When are you gonna ask her out?"

He stares at me like I asked him to eat a live scorpion or something. "Are you crazy, Grubbs?" he demands after a second.

"Pretty sure I'm sane," I reply flippantly. "Not sure about you though."

He's still staring at me. "I can't ask her out!"

"Why not? She's in the kitchen."

"You don't get it. She's way out of my league."

I open my mouth to ask what he means, but Jericho comes back with a Coke so I drop it.

A couple hours later, we're all finished with homework and Jericho gathers her stuff. She holds out her fist to Bill-E, who bumps it gently with his own.

"Later, guys," she says with a smile. "Home is calling. See you this weekend?"

"Friday night?" Bill-E suggests. "There's a new movie coming out."

"Sure. See you then." Then she's gone. 

**_Friday_**  
After the movie- which was awesome- Dervish takes us home. Jericho is in the back with Bill-E, half-asleep with her head on his shoulder. I catch his eye in the mirror and wink. He blushes. Jericho wakes up as we reach the mansion, staying close to Bill-E as we go inside.

Dervish hangs out in the door of the TV room. "Okay, kids. Behave, hide the bodies well, and good night." Then he vanishes upstairs.

Bill-E has flopped on the couch but Jericho is sitting by the chess board. She's toying with the pieces like she's thinking of playing. So I offer to go against her.

She grins. "As long as you don't mind losing."

"You're on."

I sit across from her, let her make the first move. She pushes a pawn across the board with one finger, starting the second-longest game of chess I've ever played. She makes me chase her all around the board, nabbing my queen in the first ten minutes but toying with me otherwise. I finally take her queen but three moves later, I realize she's got me cornered.

"Checkmate in three," she whistles, sitting back.

I stare at the board going over the moves I could make at this point. She's right. "Damn."

Bill-E has been watching and he looks surprised too. Then he looks at the clock and swears. I look too. It's three in the morning!

"Bed time, huh?" Jericho suggests.

Bill-E lets out a huge yawn in response.

We climb wearily upstairs, and Jericho snatches blankets and pillows from one of the other rooms to pile on my floor. She heads to the bathroom while me and Bill-E change clothes. When she comes back in pjs, she takes her place on the floor with Bill-E next to her.

I climb into bed and kill the lights. Bill-E is asleep in minutes but I can hear Jericho tossing and turning. Finally I pass out, not sure if she's ever going to get comfortable. 

Some time later I wake up with a jolt and look around. It's still dark out but I can see the sky getting lighter. Bill-E is splayed out on the floor, snoring away. Then I realize- Jericho is gone.

I sit up, frowning. Maybe she just went to the bathroom? But something doesn't feel right.

I check my bathroom anyway. Empty. She's not down in the kitchen or anywhere else either. But as I'm passing the wall of family photos, I notice that the door to the hall bathroom here is closed, which is unusual. I knock on the door just in case.

"Jericho? You in there?"


	2. Jericho

"Jericho? You in there?" 

I jump in surprise, grabbing the edge of the sink. I've been in here for an hour, spalshing my face with cold water. I had the nightmare again, the one I can't tell anyone about. 

"Y-Yeah," I call back weakly. 

Grubbs tries the knob but I locked it. "You okay?" 

I'm still shaking and sweating so that question makes me laugh. "Not really, but don't worry about it." 

"Are you sick? Should I get Dervish?" 

"No, it's okay." 

"Unlock the door? Please?" 

Grimacing, I flip the lock and sit on the edge of the tub. Grubbs comes into the dark bathroom, frowning as he crouches in front of me. 

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asks. "It smells like puke in here." 

I nod slowly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Stomach-ache." 

Grubbs doesn't look convinced. "Jericho, come on. You can talk to me, it's okay." 

I look into his eyes, searching. I don't know what it is I'm looking for, but after a moment I nod again. "Okay." 

He stands up and pulls me with him. We walk down to the kitchen, where he hands me a Coke. I take a few sips before speaking. 

"It was a nightmare. A bad one." 

Grubbs nods slightly. His expression is caring and it doesn't flicker. I guess he's had his fair share of bad dreams too. I'm not sure how much he knows about the Demonata though, so I hesitate to explain. 

"Come on, you can tell me," he presses, taking a seat at the table. 

"How much do you know about your family, Grady?" I ask. "I mean, really know about them?" 

He blinks. "You mean the curse. Dervish explained it. And it got my sister. That's why I'm here." He explains briefly. 

I nod, deciding I can trust him. "Well, you had a distant cousin, Halifax Grady. He married my cousin Allie about fifteen years ago. They had a kid named Jemima." 

Grubbs stops me. "So... we're cousins?" 

"By marriage only. No blood relation." 

He shakes his head. "This family gets weirder and weirder." 

I grin slightly and take another sip of Coke. "Yeah, well, it gets weirder still. Jemima was my best friend and we shared everything. And when she started turning, she told me." The smile falls from my lips as the memories start replaying. 

Grubbs leans forward a little. "What happened?" 

I sigh heavily and explain how Jem and her father fought Lord Loss, even though Allie was supposed to have been there. How they waited until Allie had left to pick me up, how they were slaughtered, how Allie and I found what was left of them. My hands are shaking as I finally tell the story and it's all I can do not to cry again. 

When I finish, Grubbs is watching me carefully. His expression is very tender as he asks what happened next. 

"Allie called Dervish and he sorted everything out. We moved to the Vale to be closer to him- about three years ago." 

A hand appears on my shoulder, but Grubbs hasn't moved. I look up to see Bill-E standing beside me. My lip starts trembling- I'm going to cry. Bill-E pulls me into a hug and I cling to the still slightly pudgy Spleen. 

"Hey, come on," he says quietly. "You're okay." 

I sniff loudly, rubbing at my eyes as I pull away. "Thanks." 

"No problem," Grubbs replies with a smile. "Now let's get a little more sleep. I'm bushed." 

We go back upstairs and Grubbs flops into bed. Me and Bill-E collapse on the floor, and soon all three of us are out.


	3. Grubbs

"Wake up, Grady! Breakfast!" 

I grunt and roll onto my back. When I open my eyes, Jericho is hovering over me and poking my nose. 

"Dervish is making scramblies!" she chirps happily. There's no sign of what happened last night in her voice or on her face. 

I swear and leap out of bed, racing her down to the kitchen. Dervish makes damn good eggs and there's no way I'm missing out on those! 

Jericho returns to her toast- she must have come to wake me just in time. Bill-E is half asleep still, slowly eating his breakfast. Dervish dumps a steaming pile of eggs onto my plate and returns to the stove. 

"Sleep well?" he asks. 

"Yeah." I don't mention the interlude at the table. 

After breakfast, Jericho helps Dervish clean up the kitchen while Bill-E and I go wash up. When we come back down, Jericho is pulling her shoes on. 

"Gotta go shopping," she explains when she notices our confusion. "Allie needs me to pick up some stuff from the village." 

"Need help?" Bill-E offers. 

"Nah, I got it. Thanks though. Later, guys!" Then she's out the front door and out of sight. 

**_Thursday_**  
This week has gone so slowly but today is the last day before school lets out for the summer break. I've noticed that Jericho seems to be spending a lot of time with Reni's brother, Loch. Reni and I are getting closer- I think I finally have enough courage to ask her out- but part of me is uncomfortable with Jericho getting so cozy with Loch. Especially for Bill-E's sake. 

So this morning, I pull her aside before Loch can steal her away. 

"Problem, Grady?" she asks when we're alone. 

"What's with you and Loch?" I ask bluntly- no sense beating around the bush. 

Jericho looks surprised. "You jealous or something?" 

I shake my head. "I'm asking for Bill-E." 

"What's Spleen got to do with me and Loch hanging out?" 

I groan. How can she be this dense? I explain that Bill-E really likes her but he's too shy to say anything. Especially since Jericho is technically his cousin, even if only through marriage. 

"So you're worried I'm gonna get with Loch and break Spleen's heart?" she says finally. 

I nod. 

She shrugs a little. "Loch and I dated last year, that's all. He's having some problems right now and I'm helping him." 

That's a surprise. I didn't think Loch Gossel had a romantic bone in his body, but apparently I was wrong. 

"And Bill-E?" I prompt after a second. 

For the first time since I've known her, Jericho looks truly uncomfortable. She shifts her weight and stares at the ground. 

"I... I don't know, Grady. Sometimes I want to hug him tight and never let go. Other times I want to punch him in the nose. But I know he's lonely and he's jealous of how you've got so many friends," she says very quietly. She pauses for a moment before continuing. 

"Loch and I got together while you two were off doing the movie shoot from hell. We were still together when you got home- Spleen flipped. He wouldn't talk to me for a week. It took me bringing cookies to his window at two am. Guess he was scared I'd forget about him." 

She turns away, scuffing her heels on the ground. She looks very small right now- vulnerable. 

I sigh. "He doesn't think he's good enough for you." 

"He what?" Jericho's head whips around to stare at me. 

"He told me he couldn't ask you out. When I asked why, he said you were out of his league," I explain. "I thought he meant you already had someone, but it's just that he doesn't think he's good enough." 

Jericho sighs and stares up at the sky. "Damn it." 

"You okay?" 

"Yeah, just... this blows." 

Then the bell rings for class. 

"Crap," she grumbles. "Thanks for telling me about Spleen. See you after school." Then she's gone- I don't know how she does that so fast. 

**_Saturday_**  
It's hot, humid, and clouds are building up in the distance. Looks like it's going to storm soon. Lucky I've already finished cutting the grass around the mansion. 

The phone rings just as I get out of the shower and I scramble to answer- my legs are killing me! It's Jericho, asking if I want to hang out before the storm hits. 

"Sure, I'll be over soon." 

"You know how to get here?" 

"Yeah, Bill-E told me." 

I hang up and get dressed before trotting up to Dervish's study to tell him I'm leaving. 

"Be careful, Grubbs," is all he says. He's nose-deep in a book about occult ritual so I leave him alone and head out. 

Jericho lives just outside the Vale too, but on the opposite side of the village. It's a nice walk, even with the heat, and I wave at the people I pass on the way. 

By the time I get to the other side of the village, the wind is picking up and it smells like rain. I reach the dirt road that supposedly leads to Jericho's house and pause. The road is lined with willow trees waving in the wind, and there's patches of wildflowers growing all over the place. Farther down the road, the willows give way to taller, darker trees surrounding a huge clearing. 

In the middle of that clearing is Jericho's house, and to the right from where I am is a garage-workshed combo. Jericho is standing by the side of the house waiting for me. 

"Hullo, Grady," she says cheerfully and leads me around back to a tiny screened-in porch. 

We go in through the back door into the kitchen, which is long and narrow and runs the length of the house except for one room, which Jericho explains is Allie's study. There's also a bathroom just off the living room and a narrow flight of stairs leading up. 

"Nice place," I say awkwardly. 

Jericho laughs. "It's not much but it's home. This way." 

Upstairs there's a tiny second bathroom and two bedrooms. One of them has posters stuck all over the door- I assume this is Jericho's and I'm right. 

"Welcome to my humble abode," she says, pushing the door open. 

Inside is a disaster. There's a bed crammed into one corner with a heavy desk next to it that serves as a nightstand too. To my left are shelves crammed with books, and the closet is half-open with clothes spilling out onto the hardwood floor. The walls are covered in more posters and knickknacks. 

While I'm taking everything in, Jericho flops onto her bed and moves her laptop so I can sit too. 

"Gotta ask you something, Grady," she says. 

"Like what?" 

"What should I do about Spleen?" 

I can't help snorting back a laugh. 

"I'm serious!" 

"I know, but... Look who you're asking!" I manage, still chuckling. "Grubbs Grady, master of romance!" 

She rolls her eyes. "You know Spleen better than anybody. So help me out." 

"You've probably known him longer," I protest. 

Jericho shakes her head. "You know him better. Boy-code and all that." 

I think about it, and nod. "Well, how do you feel about him? Really feel, I mean." 

She looks away. "Like I said, sometimes I want to hug him and sometimes I want to punch him. He's cute and sweet and I like hanging out with him." 

"So what's the problem?" 

"I just can't see us dating. Even without us being cousins by marriage, I don't see him as anything more than a friend. A really good friend." 

I nod again. "Probably shouldn't say anything to him, then." 

"Yeah... I don't want to hurt him or lose what we have." "So leave it alone unless he brings it up." 

She agrees, looking out the window. The wind is even stronger now and I can see raindrops hitting the glass. 

"I hope Allie is waiting this out," Jericho mutters. 

"When will I meet her?" I ask curiously. 

"Tonight when she gets home, probably." 

After that, Jericho shows me her comic collection and we geek out for a bit. Maybe an hour later, there's a break in the conversation and we listen to the storm raging outside. 

I clear my throat. "Can I ask a dumb question?" 

"No such thing as a dumb question, only dumb answers," she replies. "Shoot." "You don't have to answer if you don't want to," I caution, knowing she may not like what I'm about to ask. "But um... where are your parents?" 

There's a long, long pause before she answers at all. "They're fine." 

"I mean... why don't you live with them? Are they...?" I leave it hanging. 

Jericho turns away from me, looking out at the storm instead. "Does it matter?" 

"I was curious, that's all." 

I can see her reflection grimace. "They're alive and well and far away from me. That's all that matters." 

"Huh?" 

She sighs. "You told me about your parents, what happened to them... They really loved you and your sister, didn't they?" 

"I think so, yeah." I _know_ they did, but I don't think I like where this is going. 

"Well, my parents... They're not so great. Really didn't want a kid, but couldn't give me up either. It showed. Once I could walk and talk, they left me alone most of the time. They never had time for me." 

I'm shocked. I can't imagine the feeling of not being wanted. 

Jericho continues, "Allie and Hal basically raised me, and that's why I was so close to Jem. My parents never even ask about me, so they can go to hell for all I care." 

I lay a hand on her shoulder and she turns to smile at me. 

"Doesn't matter anyway. Here, I've got people who care about me, who make life worth living. Worth fighting for." 

I blink. "Fighting?" 

She nods. "I'm going to join the Disciples when my training is done. I'm going to fight the Demonata." 

"You... _want_ to fight?" I should have expected that from Jericho, but it still surprises me. I remember when Dervish asked me if I wanted to fight. I said no, and if he asked me again I'd still say no. 

"Of course I do. There are people I want to protect, so I'm going to fight." 

Jericho smiles again, and gets to her feet. She drags me down to the living room and that's when I hear the back door open. 

A few seconds pass until someone walks into the living room. It's a woman, tall and dark-haired. Her face is hard-looking and if I wasn't positive that this is Jericho's cousin I'd be back away. She seems dangerous. She's wearing mostly leather- pants, jacket, boots, and gloves- and the bag on her shoulder is leather too. 

"Who's this?" she asks Jericho. 

"This is Grubbs. Dervish's nephew." Jericho introduces us. 

Allie's face softens slightly when she hears my name. She holds out a hand to me, and when I take it, pulls me into a hug. I'm too surprised to pull away and just awkwardly hug her back. 

"Good to meet you, Grubbs," she says when she lets go. "Dervish told me a lot about you." 

"Nothing good, probably," I grunt, knowing my uncle. 

Allie laughs and her whole demeanor changes. The feeling of danger disappears and I feel at ease. She claps me on the shoulder, still laughing. "Just that you snore." 

"I do not!" 

Jericho snickers. Sure you do. So does Spleen. Guess it runs in the family." 

I grunt again and they both laugh at me. It's obviou now that the two of them are related and I have a good idea what Jericho will look like when she's older. 

Then Allie offers me a ride home and I accept. My legs are still sore from earlier and I wasn't looking forward to walking. Jericho says good bye and Allie leads me outside to a motorcycle, sleek and black and dangerous-looking. She hands me a helmet and tell me to hang on. I get on behind her and do as she says. 

She takes off and I'm glad she warned me- she drives crazy fast, like Dervish did when he first brought me here to Carcery Vale. In no time at all we're pulling up in front of the mansion, and I thank her for the ride as I hand back the helmet. 

"No problem, kid." She secures the helmet to the back of the bike. "Tell Dervish I said hello." 

Then she takes off and I head inside. 

The rest of the summer passes in standard fashion- lots of movie nights, chess games, and goofing off. Somebody from school throws a party and _everyone_ is invited. That's a fun night- I spend most of it flirting with Reni and getting dirty looks from her brother. 

Things go so smoothly that I almost feel like a normal teenager for a while. 

But only for a while. 

After all, "happily ever after" is a lie.


	4. Jericho

Late one night, I wake with a jolt. It's late summer, school only a few weeks away. I don't know what woke me- the night is quiet, only crickets chirping and a breeze coming through my open window. I sit up, looking around my dark room. Nothing out of place. 

Rubbing at my eyes, I climb out of bed and pad silently to the door and peer into the hall. Nothing out of place here either. 

Wait. 

Allie's door is open, her lamp on. But her bed is empty. 

I frown. Allie isn't usually up this late. And the house is almost too quiet. Something is wrong. 

I cross back to my bed and retrieve the switchblade I keep under the mattress. I drop my cell phone into the pocket of my pajama pants and slip downstairs, looking for Allie. Shes not in either bathroom, her study, or the living room. The kitchen is empty and silent except for the buzz of the light over the stove, but when I look outside I can see a faint light in the garage. 

Not bothering with shoes or a flashlight- I know the yard like the back of my hand- I go out and cross the gap to the garage. 

Both Allie's bike and the car are in place, the engines cool. 

Trembling with the fear building in my stomach, I edge into the workshop that makes up the rest of the building. On the surface it looks like a storage room for tools and spare parts- this is the room I saw the light in from the house- but the floor comes up to reveal a set of stairs. Those stairs lead down to the real purpose of this garage- a room of magic where Allie and I practice. It's the only place on the property that isn't warded and I don't come down here alone. 

Right now the stairs are exposed- Allie must be down there- and that scares me. Allie says we should close them off when we're practicing, to keep the wards intact or something. 

Slowly I descend the stairs with only the light from the workshop to light my way. At the bottom is a heavy door inscribed with protection symbols. It's the last bit of warding, meant to contain whatever magic may be in the room. It's open- another bad sign. 

With my heart pounding and the switchblade clutched in my hand, I step past the door. My skin prickles as I do- there's a lot of magic in the air. 

Allie is sitting cross-legged on the cement with two large candles lit in front of her. Her back is to the door so I don't think she's noticed me yet. There's a pile of paper on the floor between the candles, and from here I can just make out a picture. I step closer despite my fear, hands shaking. Now I can see details. 

It's a face. A red face with blood oozing out of dozens of cracks. No nose and a tiny mouth filled with grey teeth pulled back in a sad smile. Lord Loss. 

The knife drops to the floor with a clatter from my suddenly nerveless fingers. Allie doesn't turn. 

Why would she be talking to Lord Loss? We haven't dealt personally with the demon master since Jem turned- no need to. 

Somehow I move even closer but I hesitate to speak. I'm not sure what's going on and I don't want to startle Allie if she's sleepwalking. 

Lord Loss's mouth is moving now, speaking too softly for me to hear. Allie's shoulders hunch and she reaches forward to touch the face of the demon master. 

"No!" I shout, leaping forward. I collide with Allie, shoving her forward and to the side before she can touch him. The movement blows out the candles, plunging the room into darkness. 

Allie is fighting me, clawing at my arms and hissing. I yell as her nails dig in and leave long angry scratches on my chest, arms, and shoulders, but I don't let go. Instead I attempt to pin her down, using the martial arts she taught me, talking to her and hoping my voice gets through. 

"Allie, it's me!" I say desperately. 

She hisses at me again. "Why did you stop me?" she screams hysterically. "He promised!" 

I pause, holding her hands back from clawing at my face. That's right- it's the anniversary of Jem's turning. I'd completely forgotten until just now. 

"You ruined my chance to see them!" she shrieks, tears streaming down her face in the darkness. Some of them drip down onto me while I hold her back from attacking me. "Damn you! _Damn you!_ " 

I don't know what to do. Allie's never done this before. Usually it's just nightmares she can't wake up from, not actually trying to summon a demon. 

My grip on her slips and she scratches my cheek. There's still a lot of magic in the air, though, so I tap into it to roll us over and pin her down. 

"I'm sorry, Allie. It's over. I love you." 

Then I slap her hard enough to jolt her face to the side. While she's in shock from the blow, I use the magic to encourage her into sleep. She fights me at first but I push harder and she eventually quiets. I push a little more, sending her into deeper sleep so I can be sure she won't wake up for a while. 

When I'm sure she's out, I get up and turn on the overhead lights. The fluorescents flicker into life, buzzing quietly. I check the room- the papers with the image of Lord Loss are scattered but I don't go near them. 

I dig out my cell phone- lucky it wasn't damaged in the struggle- and dial Dervish's number as I kneel next to my sleeping cousin. 

"Hello?" a sleepy voice answers on the sixth ring. 

"Grady? That you?" I ask, checking Allie's pulse. It's even and steady. 

"Who is this? And do you know what the hell time it is?" 

"It's Jericho, asshole. Go get Dervish. Now." 

"Jericho, what's wrong?" He sounds wide awake now, worried. 

"There's no time, damn it," I snap. "Just go get him and bring him here." 

He protests, wanting more information. I cut him off with a curse and he finally hangs up to go get Dervish. While I wait for them, I cradle Allie's head in my lap, petting her hair. 

I'm surprised by how calm I am- must be shock. I can feel blood dripping down my cheek from the scratches and my arms look awful, but I ignore it for now. 

About an hour passes and then Dervish comes whirling into the room with Grubbs on his heels. They're both in pajamas but have shoes on. Dervish drops to one knee and checks Allie's pulse. 

"What happened, Jericho?" he asks, taking in the scratches. 

I explain as best I can and his face gets grimmer and grimmer. When I finish, he sighs, looking down at Allie's face. She looks really young right now, scared even in her sleep. 

"I was afraid this might happen," he says finally. 

"What are you talking about?" I ask. 

"I'll explain in a minute. Let's go back to the house." He lifts Allie into his arms and carries her bridal style to the stairs. 

I glance at the scattered papers, and Grubbs picks them up, laying them on the table across the room without a word. Then we follow Dervish up the stairs, turning out the lights as we go. I stop to grab my knife on the way. 

Back in the house, Dervish takes Allie up to bed, leaving her door cracked. We gather in my room, none of us wanting to be too far away in case she needs us. 

Dervish sits at my desk, elbows on his knees, looking at the floor. Grubbs joins me on my bed. 

"Dervish?" I say softly. 

He looks up at me and sighs. "You know Grubbs and I battled Lord Loss a while back. For Billy." 

I nod. 

"And you know about..." He leaves it hanging. 

"The movie shoot from hell. Yeah." 

"Then you know he's sworn revenge on us." 

I nod again, not sure what this has to do with Allie. Grubbs reaches over and takes my hand. 

"Allie's a strong woman," Dervish continues, glancing through my open door and across the hall. "But losing Hal and Jem was really hard on her." 

"She has nightmares a lot," I confirm. "They get worse this time of year. But she's never done anything like this." 

Dervish nods. "She probably never would, either. Except..." He hesitates. 

"Except what?" asks Grubbs, who's been strangely silent up to now. 

"Except now she's involved with the Gradys again. Through you, Jericho." 

"So?" Grubbs demands. "What's that got to do with-" 

I cut him off, the pieces clicking into place. "He's using her to get to me," I say quietly. Anger is slowly replacing fear. "Because he knows that I'll go after him if she gets hurt. And Spleen will go after _me_ , and you two will go after _him._ " 

Dervish agrees with me. "It's a roundabout way to do it, but hurting you and Allie to get to us just makes it better for him." 

Grubbs is frowning, obviously upset. 

"Could he really bring them back?" I ask then. 

"No," Dervish replies slowly. "He doesn't have that ability." 

"Maybe he's leading her on," Grubbs points out. "He never said he would bring them back, just that she could see them again. Maybe he was going to kill her." 

I growl. "That bastard." 

Dervish sighs again and stands up. "It's four in the morning. Get some sleep. I'll call Shark and stay with her." He crosses the hall to sit at Allie's bedside. 

Grubbs is still holding my hand but I don't say anything. It feels nice, comforting, knowing he's been through this too. We sit in silence before he speaks again. 

"Why call Shark?" he asks. 

I shrug. "He's the only person Allie will open up to, now Hal is gone. And they get along really well. Once he's here, she'll get better. Sort of." 

"Sort of?" 

"You never really get over depression, Grady," I say softly, staring at our entwined hands. "You just have okay days where it doesn't... well, hurt so much. And then there's times where you just want it all to stop because you're tired of being tired, and nothing makes you smile, and everything _sucks._ " 

He squeezes gently. "Allie isn't the only one who's hurting, huh? You were talking about yourself too." 

I smile weakly, but say nothing. He's right, of course, but I can't say so. I can't take the risk of it getting back to Allie. She's got enough trouble as it is. 

Grubbs squeezes my hand again, then looks at the scratches covering my shoulders and arms. Some of them are still bleeding, matching the ones on my face. He touches one with his free hand. 

"What are these?" he asks. 

"Allie clawed me when I stopped her. They don't hurt." 

He frowns, gets to his feet, and fetches the first aid kit from the bathroom. He cleans the worst of the scratches and puts a bandage over the ones on my cheek. I let him play nurse because I'm shaking too badly to do it myself. When he's done, he pushes me over with a grin. 

"Get some rest." 

"You too," I reply as he walks away. 

When he's gone I lay down on my side, facing the wall. Now that everything is calmed down, my body is finally starting to react. Not only am I shaking violently, my stomach hurts and I can feel tears in my eyes. 

One shuddering breath later, I'm sobbing into my pillow. It goes on for a while and eventually I cry myself to sleep. 

When I wake up again, it's late afternoon. My window is still open and I can hear a lawnmower running outside. Glancing out, I see Grubbs pushing our mower across the grass, and a smile crosses my face. Someone yells something about lemonade- it sounds like Bill-E. What's he doing here? 

I get up and tumble down the stairs to find Allie on the couch, her head resting in Shark's lap. She smiles weakly as I approach, and Shark pokes my stomach. 

"Isn't she feeding you?" he laughs. "You're still thin as a rail!" 

I giggle and lean over to hug him. Shark hasn't changed- he still wears his fatigues and his tattoos are still awesome. He hugs me back with one arm while the other stays protectively across Allie's chest. 

"When did you get here?" I ask, running a hand through my greasy hair. 

"Early this morning," he replies. "Dervish called at some ungodly hour and I came up ASAP." 

"Thanks," I tell him sincerely. 

"It's what I do." 

I smile and head into the kitchen to find Bill-E pouring glasses of lemonade. He grins when he sees me, setting the pitcher down and walking over. 

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," he chuckles. 

"Hey-ho, Prince Charming," I return, leaning on the counter. 

He blinks, his cheeks flushing a little. Then he hands me a glass of lemonade. 

"Grubbs told me what happened," he says. "You okay?" 

I nod, sipping at my drink. "Yeah. Dervish helped out and the scratches aren't so bad. Thanks." 

Bill-E glances at my shoulders and chest, where the scratches are deeper, nd frowns. "You sure?" 

"Mm. Thanks for coming over." I set my glass down, looking out the kitchen window. 

"No problem, Jericho." He hesitates for a second, and then he's hugging me tightly. 

"Spleen?" I hug him back, confused. I know he likes me, but this isn't something he'd usually do. 

"Sorry," he says after a minute. "I just... I'm worried." 

"About what?" He still hasn't let me go, not that I mind. 

"About you," he admits slowly. "I mean, what if this happens again and nobody's around? What if she succeeds next time?" 

I smile a little. "Even if she does, he can't go far. The workshop is protected and even he has limits on what he can do here. Plus I know a few spells." 

"Sure, but what about Allie? Can you protect yourself from her?" 

"Probably, if I really had to. Why the sudden concern, Spleen?" 

He pulls back, hands resting on my upper arms, and his face is unusually serious. "Because I care, Jericho," he tells me. "You're pretty much the only person I really, honestly care about." 

"What about Grady and Dervish? And your grandparents?" I ask with a faint smile. 

"They're family, they don't count." 

"Don't let Grady hear you say that. He'd brain you." 

Bill-E laughs and shakes his head. "You know what I mean." 

"Yeah. I think I do. Thanks, Bill-E." 

He blinks. "That's the first time you've ever used my first name. What gives?" 

"Special occasion. Don't get used to it." 

I finish off my lemonade then grab a full glass and head outside to find Grubbs. Bill-E takes the other glasses out to Allie and Shark before refilling mine and following me outside. 

"Hey, Grady!" I yell across the yard. 

Grubbs lets the mower die and walks over to take the lemonade. "Thanks." 

"Thank Spleen," I grin. "He made it, I'm just the delivery girl." 

He laughs, and Bill-E arrives with more lemonade. I sling my arm around him in a half-assed hug. Grubbs decides to take a break from mowing, so we all go sit on the porch to talk about random things. 

"You guys know how to swim?" I say after a while. 

Grubbs blinks. "Yeah, why?" 

"Feel like taking a dip when you're done?" 

"Uh, sure...? What about you, Bill-E?" 

Bill-E agrees and trots off to the other side of the Vale to grab swim trunks for him and Grubbs. While he's gone, Grubbs finishes the grass and I head inside to find towels. 

I have to dig through my closet for a while to find my swimsuit but at last I'm successful. As I change I wonder how Bill-E will react- I hope he doesn't just keel over. Pulling on an oversized t-shirt, I grb towels from the bathroom and go back downstairs. The boys are waiting- Bill-E must have run the whole way. 

"Allie, we're going to the pond!" I yell into the living room. 

"Be careful!" she calls back. 

Me and the boys set off, following a narrow trail that leads back beyond the garage. It winds through some trees before ending at a large clearing that's mostly filled with the pond. Around the edge are some big rocks and a huge elm that leans out over the water on the far side. The water is a peaceful blue-green color and it sparkles in the sun. 

I grin and lead the boys down to the water's edge. By the time they've actually joined me, I've pulled off the t-shirt. 

Grubbs stares for a second, his face turning red. Bill-E does the same, making a sputtering noise as he tries not to stare. 

I laugh at them and jump into the water, waving for them to join me. After another second of staring, they do, and we spend the rest of the afternoon laughing and goofing off. 

One by one we climb the elm tree and jump into the pond. Bill-E does the most colossal cannon-ball I've ever seen, sending huge splashes of water everywhere, even up to where Grubbs and I are sitting in the tree. Grubbs laughs at the size of the splash and manages to fall out of the tree into the water, making an even bigger splash than Bill-E. I can't help doubling over in laughter, clinging to the branch to avoid the same fate myself as he comes spluttering up to the surface. 

"Good move, Grady!" I call to him with an impish grin. 

"Come say that to my face!" he retorts. 

I snicker and roll backward off my perch, curling into a ball before I hit the water. When I surface, Grubbs is nowhere in sight. 

"What the-?" 

Then Grubbs pops up under me, lifting me out of the water on his shoulders. I yelp in surprise and nearly fall, but hes got his hands on my thighs to support me. Bill-E snorts back a laugh at the look on my face. 

"Payback," Grubbs says with a chuckle. 

I swat the top of his head lightly. "Not my fault you're a klutz, Grady." 

By now the sun is starting to go down, the shadows getting long and purple around us. We climb out of the water and grab our towels, drying off as we make our way back to the house. The kitchen light is on and I can see Allie moving around inside. 

"Dinner will be ready soon," Allie tells us as we head upstairs to change. 

By the time we do make it back down, dinner is on the table. Everyone gathers to eat, and afterward Bill-E sighs and says he should head back home. 

"Why not spend the night?" Allie suggests. "You can go home in the morning." 

Grubbs adds that he can say he's staying at the mansion with Dervish so that Ma and Pa Spleen don't have too much of a fit, and Bill-E agrees after that. 

Around eleven, Allie goes to bed and Shark follows her up, leaving the three of us in the living room. We sit in silence for a while, but then I look over at Grubbs. 

"How goes it with Reni?" I ask. 

He shrugs. "Her and Loch have been out of town, so..." 

"You miss her?" 

He blushes and I giggle at his embarrassed expression. Bill-E nudges him with his foot. 

"Haven't you asked her out yet?" he inquires. 

"I'm waiting to see if Loch is going to smash my face in," Grubbs replies. 

I shake my head. "He won't, unless you hurt Reni." 

"Don't plan to." 

"Then your precious face will be just fine," I grin. "Now who's up for a movie?" 

They agree so I put one in that I know we all like. About halfway through it, I start to fall asleep with my head on Bill-E's shoulder.


End file.
